Constructing an AM5 system used to be an expensive endeavour but the prices of the platform and its processors have become very affordable in recent months. For example, the cost of Ryzen 5 9600X has just returned to its lowest ever price, netting you a chip that’s as capable as it is cheap.
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X
“Foundational microarchitecture grants Ryzen 5 9600X incredible efficiency, making it well-suited to gaming.” Read our review.
On Amazon US, Ryzen 5 9600X can be yours for as little as $184.99. This promotional price saves you a welcome 34% ($94.01) relative to its list price and makes the CPU as affordable as its ever been. Meanwhile, in the UK, AMD’s entry-level SKU can go straight into your basket for just £197.99 direct from Amazon but there are several highly-rated third-party sellers selling the chip for less.
Sporting six Zen 5 cores, 12 threads, and a boost clock of up to 5.4GHz, there’s little more you could reasonably need from a modern processor than what Ryzen 5 9600X offers. Better still, the CPU is capable of running in a 65W configuration out-of-the-box or can run with a little extra juice behind it for more performance thanks to AMD’s introduction of a 105W power profile. These extra watts should also help with overclocking too.
Ryzen 5 9600X understandably shines best through its single core performance, making the processor particularly attractive to gamers. In our benchmarks, AMD’s processor either matches or even beats Intel’s flagship Core Ultra 9 285K running games at FHD or QHD. It also offers solid generational leaps over its forebear, Ryzen 5 7600X, in many titles.
AMD unfortunately doesn’t package Ryzen 5 9600X with a stock cooler, so you will need to source your own solution. However, any decent budget air cooler like be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 or AIO water cooler will do, as it only needs to contend with 65-105W worth of heat. Lower power means lower temperatures.
A final word of warning for those with older 600 Series motherboards, you may need to update your BIOS before plopping your Ryzen 5 9600X into the CPU socket. Consult your model’s support page for the latest version available to download, as well as help on how to apply it.
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